Nicolas Winding Refn Drops Out Of 'The Equalizer'

Sorry to crush your hopes folks, but it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn team up with Denzel Washington anytime soon. Sony Pictures was looking to have Refn direct The Equalizerremake but, unfortunately, negotiations between the two have fallen apart.

The overall combination of Denzel Washington and Nicolas Winding Refn sounded amazing on paper, but that’s where things fell apart. It appears that Sony Pictures and Nicolas Winding Refn couldn’t exactly see eye-to-eye when it came to closing a deal. As a result, the two parties shook hands and went their separate ways. It happens everyday in Hollywood. You just have to get up and move onto the next director, which is exactly what Sony is doing. They’re currently on the hunt for a new director to take Refn’s place in time for the start of production, set to happen this May.

It’s not like Refn is out of work. He’s knee-deep in post production for his latest picture Only God Forgives, teaming him back up once more with actor Ryan Gosling.On top of that, the director is plenty busy with prepping up the Logan’s Runremake. Perhaps it was his commitment to these pictures that derailed the negotiations between himself and Sony Pictures.

The picture is based off the eighties television show starring Edward Woodward. He played Robert McCall, a retired covert operations officer who works as a private investigator of sorts in order to make up for his past crimes. Mr. Washington is automatically a cool fit for the role, since many of us are so keen to just see him kick butt and take names on the big screen.